Dark Dealings
by Asper Tenerum Viscus VIII
Summary: Based on the mission Honour Lost. Not sure where I'm going with this, really, as I think of the plot as I go along. Worried, Ed hires someone to protect his leader Kerry. What they uncover could not only affect them, but all of Ivalice. Ch.3 is up.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer **

**Final Fantasy Tactics Advance belongs to Square Enix. Not me. Darn. **

**----- **

**Dark Dealings**

_**Chapter 1: Beginnings**_

With a large thud, a wooden mug full of an unknown substance was slammed hard upon a sturdy wooden pub table, a milky white liquid sloshing slightly over the brim. The offender, a Bangaa dressed in royal blue robes and a Templar Helm, was laughing uproariously. Someone had obviously said something funny, and it had tickled his reptilian funny-bone. The Bangaa was seated in a pub in the town of Sprohm with his clanmates and Clan Leader. They had taken a well deserved break from missions, and were enjoying some time off the battle field. They did, after all, have a bounty on the head of their Clan Leader. It was tough avoiding the Judges AND rival clans out to get the bounty reward. So far, they had encountered many close calls and near misses. With the combined skill of everyone in the clan, they were able to escape with little to no injury, which was always a good thing in Ivalice. Wiping tears of mirth from his beady eyes, his gaze fell on a blonde-haired boy across the table from him.

"Ssso, Chief," he began, his reptilian tongue interfering with his speech, "About thossse jobsss you were talking about?" The blonde boy grinned and set his mug down quietly, as opposed to his Bangaa friend's actions.

"Yeah. I was just about to bring that up. I was looking at available missions, and I found one just right for a certain someone." The clan members all grinned, looking at each other. Who would be the lucky one? It was obviously a dispatch mission, so only one member could go. When missions like these came along, everyone always got excited. It was a surprise. No one knew what the job was yet, or who was going to be chosen for it. It was comparable to picking teams for sports; the best were always chosen first.

"Ah, well….I'm alwaysss up for a good fight, Sssir!" The Bangaa said, standing up proudly and beating one fist on his chest.

"Yes, I know that Nume. Though I'm afraid you'll be sitting this one out." The rest of the clan members laughed as Nume sat down again, looking slightly put out.

"Of courssse, Sssir." The group around the table was now silent. Two Viera, a Bangaa, a Moogle, a Nu Mou, and a Human sat at the square table in the pub, their attention obviously on the human boy. The Moogle spoke up, a happy chirp in his voice.

"Are you going to tell us, Marche, or are you going to leave us wallowing in a state of suspense kupo?" The blonde, Marche, scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Uh...yeah. Sorry about that. The mission is from some guy named Ed. Some shady character is targeting his clan leader, Kerry. He wants us to protect her….but here's the catch: No one's allowed to know. So you know what that means, right?" He smiled. Everyone chuckled and looked to the Viera at the end of the table. Her tall fuzzy ears perked up, almost as if they alone sensed the stares of the gathering at the table.

"I, Marche Sir?" she asked, the corner of her mouth turning up. Marche nodded, and the Viera stood up. She was clothed in the deep green uniform of a Sniper, the veil about her face masking her smile perfectly.

"This mission requires stealth and wit. You've got both, so this one's yours. Ed wants you to leave immediately. Good luck, Pheobe."

"Aye! Good luck, Lassss! Give 'em hell for me!" Nume said, trying his best to cheer her on and not feel jealous. He had become rather bored, and wanted a little action.

"Please take care, won't you?… Don't look at me like that, Nume. As a Nu Mou AND a White Mage, it's in my nature to worry." Stuart, their Nu Mou White Mage piped up.

"Don't give them too hard a time, kupo!" said Montblanc, everyone's' favourite Black Mage Moogle.

"Please be careful, Pheobe!" The last voice belonged to that of the second Viera, a sweet yet shy Elementalist known as Etoile. Pheobe didn't smile; however, she did lay her hand gently on the younger Viera's head, ruffling her hair softly. For a person as distant as Pheobe, the fact that she had even affectionately touched another was completely mind boggling. However, those of Clan Templar were used to it by now.

"I'll be fine. So long, everyone. See you in the morrow." The Sniper had never been a Viera big on words. Having said her small little bit, she was gone. One of the strongest members of Clan Templar, and now she was gone. Missions from here on out would be tough. As the Sniper left, a small whimper could be heard.

"Cheer up, Etoile. Pheobe's smart. Nothing'll happen to her. You'll see." Etoile heard Marche's words, but they did little to comfort her.

"I … just have a bad feeling is all, Marche." The young Elementalist said nervously before sitting back down again. Marche sighed. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea? Oh well. What's done is done, and Pheobe had already gone. _Things'll work out_, he told himself before turning to his remaining clanmates. He needed to find a mission that wasn't too difficult to complete while Pheobe was away. That may take some time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**

**Square Enix owns Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, not me. Bummer, I know.**

**---- **

**Dark Dealings**

**_Chapter 2:_** **_Just Not Enough_**

Pheobe walked casually towards the rendezvous point that Ed had told her about. In her mind, many ideas were being mulled over. This Kerry must be an important person if someone was after her. Perhaps she could get some decent gil from this? Maybe even a better bow than she had right now? However, one thought plagued her mind. What in the name of Exodus did Kerry do to get on someone's hit list? These thoughts were punctured when a small voice spoke up to her right.

"A-Are you…Pheobe?" turning her keen Vieran eyes where her tall ears told her to, Pheobe spotted the speaker. The speaker was a small man of maybe 25. He stood only to her chest level, his mousy brown hair not even able to tickle her elegantly tapered chin. After stopping in mid-stride, the Viera quirked a brow at the small man.

"Who's asking?" The man wrung his hands nervously, looking from side to side as if searching for eavesdroppers. His voice squeaked out once more.

"I-I'm Ed. I believe…I believe I hired you to …to protect my Clan Leader…" He winced, almost as if saying that had dealt a blow to not only himself, but to his Clan Leader's honour.

"Then yes, I am Pheobe. Where is this Kerry you have spoken of?" Pheobe was rather blunt when it came to missions. Ed looked at the Inn he was standing in front of. Pointing to the second floor, he motioned to the third window to the right. Pheobe nodded. "Consider it done. Not a hair on her head will be touched, I promise you that." This seemed to calm the man down some, and behind her Sniper's veil, Pheobe couldn't help but smile slightly. The smile, as usual, was unseen to anyone. "However, to be safe, you should stand guard outside her door." Without another word, Pheobe entered the Inn. Kerry was currently in room 13 on the second floor. The Viera quickly booked the room next to Kerry's, Room 12. The balconies of these two rooms were joined, as they were designed for clanmates to socialize should they not be able to sleep. Taking her bow, Pheobe gently leapt up onto the banister of the balcony, leaning her back softly against the Inn wall. The only two ways into Kerry's room was the front door, and the balcony door. Someone intending harm would most likely intend to use the Balcony-way in. If they did, she would see them, and they would be dealt with. Sighing, Pheobe closed her eyes. This was going to be another sleepless night. Hopefully, the others in her clan were taking this time to get some well deserved sleep. Probably the only reason she was sent out was because the money could get her a better bow. In their last engagement, her bow had taken a beating. It was still functional, of course, but a new bow was a very good idea right about now.

The Sniper was unaware of how many hours she sat like that on the balcony, but once the moon was full and high in the sky, she heard something below her. In a second, an arrow was strung in her bow, and she was crouched down in the shadows of the corner. Her keen eyes saw shadows moving below her, and, sniffing the air gently, they smelled like humans. All of them were humans? How many were there? Scanning intently, her eyes saw four, no, FIVE humans dressed in deep green. Something suddenly caught in her chest, though it was not fear. It was more a grim realization than anything. The humans below her, ALL of them were of the Ninja class. She was expecting one or two to sneak after their target. Five just seemed illogical. Even so, here they were, all five of them, preparing to scale the wall. Just as she'd thought, they were trying to enter from the balcony. Gently, quietly, Pheobe muttered something.

"Conceal." Without a sound, the Sniper disappeared completely from sight. This skill was definitely useful, especially to those with sneaky intentions. One by one, the Ninja began making their way up to the balcony. Pheobe quietly slunk to their point of entrance. She would be standing right in front of the first Ninja as he hopped over the banister. Holding her bow out in front of her, arrow strung, she waited. As the first Ninja began making his way over the top of the banister, Pheobe initialized her plan.

"Doubleshot." She said calmly. Not one, but two arrows shot directly at the Ninja. Caught completely by surprise, his eyes widened as one arrow sunk into his chest, and the other into his shoulder. After struggling to say something, nothing came out of his moving mouth and instead he tumbled over backwards, knocking into a second Ninja that was climbing behind him. Both plummeted downwards and, with a sickening thud, hit the ground hard. It was safe to say that those two were KO'd for this battle. Hopefully, Ed had heard something and would maybe lend a hand. There were still three Ninja, and she was but one lone Sniper. The other three Ninja quickly split up, one climbing up on each side, with one climbing up the center. She would only be able to get one more before the other two made it over. Choosing the one in the centre, she loaded another arrow. Swiftly, she leaned over the side, she aimed quickly and carefully.

"Beso Toxico." The arrow flew true, and lodged itself in the chest of the oncoming Ninja. His flesh turned a sickly green, and she knew he had been poisoned. The Ninja fell from the banister, landing with a thud bellow. If he wasn't KO'd then, the poison would get him as he made his way back up the balcony. Now was when the real battle would start. This wasn't an official engagement, and so there were no rules. These two Ninja would kill her without remorse, and so she had to treat them with the same favour. Hopping over the banister, the two Ninja drew their katanas with a deadly sound of scraping metal. Pheobe took a deep breath. She rarely faced a challenge such as this. Usually, she could do something like take down two Ninja, but that was with the back up of her Clan. Now she was alone, facing two Ninja in the debt of night, and had to keep it low key. After all, if she were found out to be protecting Kerry, her mission would end in failure. The Ninja rushed her at the same time, bringing their katanas swiftly down upon her. Pheobe was fast, as it was in her Viera blood. However, to dodge two Ninjas simultaneously attacking? That was a feat she was positive NO ONE could accomplish. Rolling to the right, she dodge the left Ninja's strike, but the right Ninja was in luck. His katana found flesh, and blood began to seep from a semi-deep gash in Pheobe's shoulder. Her roll brought her right behind the Ninja who had wounded her. Bringing her bow up, she muttered a quick prayer for good luck, and fired.

"Death Sickle." Amazingly, the Ninja was not swift enough to dodge it. The magical entity known as the Reaper loomed for a moment above him before dissipating. He was as good as gone now; all she needed was a little more time. The now pale Ninja lurched forwards. Pheobe made to side step but, too late. The katana grazed her cheek, blood now freely seeping down her face. What she hadn't expected was the Ninja's foot to kick her in the chest. Caught off guard, she was sent sprawling backwards. The Sniper was just able to regain her balance before she toppled over the banister of the balcony. The second Ninja that had not fallen victim to her Death Sickle now lunged forwards. Taking advantage of her momentary disarray, he slashed twice at her back, creating a gruesome crimson 'X'. Stumbling slightly, Pheobe was able to bring her bow up once more. Her voice was now a bit louder, but that could not be helped. This was more damage than she'd ever taken. Of course, that was nothing to be ashamed of. One lone Sniper had just taken out three Ninja, about to add another to that list.

"Beso Toxico!" Once more she loaded an arrow, and once more it flew true. The arrow lodged in the Ninja's hip, causing him to grunt in pain. As he made to tear it from him, Pheobe loaded another shot into her bow. With a whine, the arrow let loose from her bow. Distracted by taking out the first arrow, the second arrow caught him directly in the middle of the chest. Staggering, he fell backwards over the balcony banister. With a thud, he joined his three companions at the bottom.

"You troublesome wench!" The remaining Ninja hissed and, swift as the wind, he once again lunged towards her. Panting and bleeding, Pheobe didn't have the energy to dodge. The blade of his katana sunk into the flesh of her already wounded shoulder. Pheobe's knees finally gave way beneath her. With a sickening squelch, the Ninja wrenched his katana free from her Vieran flesh. "It's time we ended this. You put up a good fight until now. You actually took out 4 Ninja by yourself. If you weren't my enemy, I might congratulate you." With a sneer he raised his katana. No Judge meant no rules. No rules meant no penalties. No penalties meant that he could kill this pretty little Viera and not go to jail. Grinning, he chuckled. "Goodnight, Sniper." He then brought the Katana down towards her head.

"….." Pheobe said nothing and did not close her eyes. She would face death head on. Her only regret was that she would never see the smiling faces of her clanmates before she was killed. However, that prominent death never came. Just centimeters away from her face, the katana stopped. The Ninja, now so pale he looked dead, began to tremble. With dawning realization, Pheobe realized what was happening. None other than the Reaper of Souls himself loomed above the Ninja. In but a moment, the Reaper was gone, taking the Ninja's life with it. Lifeless, the Ninja fell to the ground. It was over. It was finally over, and, miraculously, she had come out the victor. As she struggled to her feet, she heard voices from inside Kerry's room.

"That pessst outssside gave me a little trouble, but I took care of him. He won't be getting up anytime ssssoon, heh."

"Excellent. Take the girl, quickly. I've knocked her unconscious, so tie her wrists and let's get out of here. Where are those blasted Ninja? We shouldn't even be here! They were supposed to take care of it, but they never showed!"

"They sssaid they'd be ssssneaking in from the balcony, Ssssir."

"Well, we'll just see about that." With a start, Pheobe heard footsteps coming towards the balcony door. She hadn't the time to react, to perform Conceal, or to even hide. The door opened, and two people stepped out. A Human Fighter and a Bangaa Warrior stood before her. Both of them stopped dead in their tracks at the sight they were presented with. The balcony was spattered in blood, mainly Pheobe's, and the body of only one Ninja was strewn on the floor. Where were the other four? As if in answer, the Bangaa ran to the side and peered downwards. The pile of KO'd Ninja at the bottom was still there, and he whistled. The human turned to Pheobe, both brows raised. "That's quite some skill you've got there, Missy. FIVE Ninja? Quite remarkable if you ask me. It would be tough taking out three of them on your own, never mind five at ONCE." The Bangaa turned from the view and stared at Pheobe.

"We can't let her leave, Sssir. Either we kill her, or ssshe comesss with ussss. Which isss it gunna be?" The Human came closer to Pheobe and, when she raised her bow, he merely kicked her in the gut. Taking the cringing Viera in his arms, he held her chin gently so that she was forced to look into his face.

"My pretty little Sniper…. I think I'll keep you. Who knows? You might just come in handy!" He said with a small laugh. Pheobe merely spat in his face as a response.

"I'd…never aid you…with my bow!" Pheobe managed weakly. Sighing, the Human let the Viera go to wipe his face free of her saliva.

"That's a pity. I'd hoped I wouldn't have to get physical. You see, dear," he began, walking around her and placing his hand on her wounded shoulder. His hand suddenly began to squeeze, and Pheobe cried out in pain. "You don't have a CHOICE in the matter."

"Sssir, we ssshould get going, NOW." The Bangaa interrupted, pointing to the streets. Several lights were turning on in the houses below, and the Human swore.

"Damn it…Georg, we're leaving!" He then smiled. "But not without our prize!" Drawing his sword, he brought the hilt of it down on the side of Pheobe's head. The Viera's world began to spin and blackness began to cloud her vision; her last conscious thought was, _Looks like you were right, Etoile… _Then the blackness took her, stealing consciousness away from her like a thief in the night. Hoisting the unconscious Sniper over his shoulder, the Human and his companion began making their way down the path the Ninja had used to climb up the balcony. With both Kerry and Pheobe over each of their shoulders, they stole away into the night. Like two shadows, the disappeared into the expanse of blackness that covered the city, their dirty deed done. Somewhere, a certain Vieran Elementalist awoke with a scream.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**

**Square Enix owns Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, not me. Bummer, I know.**

**----**

**Dark Dealings**

**_Chapter Three: Ill at Ease_**

The sound of booted feet pounded through Inn, obviously hurrying to one location. Marche, Nume, Montblanc, and Stuart now stood out Etoile's door, Marche pounding on it with one fist.

"Etoile! Etoile, are you alright?! ETOILE?!" He was about to start pounding again when the door gently squeaked open. Etoile's face appeared through the crack, eyes wide and frightened looking. Stuart's brows furrowed in even deeper concern for his friend.

"Etoile, what ever could be the matter? Are you injured? Did someone intrude into your chambers?"

"Wasss it a Peeping Tom? I ssswear, I'll rip him a new one if—"

"Nume, you aren't helping, kupo!"

"Right. Sssorry." As Nume went silent, Marche pushed the door open wider and let himself in. Gently, he led Etoile to the bed and had her sit down.

"What's the matter, Etoile…?" It took a moment for the Elementalist to answer, but answer she did. Her voice was shaking, and it was obvious she hadn't yet recovered from whatever it was had happened.

"I-I'm not sure….I was asleep and dreaming and…all of a sudden, my vision turned crimson like blood, and I heard a scream! It…It sounded like Pheobe, Marche! I'm…I just….this hasn't ever happened before…but I….she…" Etoile began to breathe rather heavily, and Marche hushed her. The last thing he needed was a hyperventilating Viera on his hands. He began to rub her back soothingly, bringing her into a hug to help steady her.

"It was just a dream, Etoile….its alright. Pheobe is alright, I'm sure of it. She's due back this morning so why don't you get some more rest? I'm sure she would be worried out of her mind if you greeted her as you are now." Etoile shook her head. Sleep was beyond her now. Marche looked desperately to his friends for help. He was trained in the sword, not in the ways of comforting women. Stuart, thank goodness, came to his rescue.

"Now now, Dear….don't worry your pretty little head." He gently took her slender hand in his large one. "Let's go get some tea, shall we? I'm sure that will help calm you down. Then we can discuss things, alright? Come now, Dear." With that Stuart lead Etoile down the stairs of the Inn towards the pub section. _It's amazing how gentle Nu Mou really are_, Marche thought to himself as he watched them go. Montblanc sighed.

"This whole thing has got my nerves leaping, kupo! I've never seen Etoile this upset, have you, kupo?" Marche scratched the back of his head with one gloved hand. It was obvious that he hadn't.

"No, I haven't. Etoile and Pheobe… they're rather close, don't you think?" Marche said thoughtfully. It was kind of strange, really. Pheobe was somewhat distant, a kind of loner so to speak. Of course, she interacted with the rest of the Clan just fine. However, she really seemed to connect with Etoile. Their personalities couldn't be farther apart, though.

"They do, kupo. They seem more like sisters than friends, don't you think, kupo?" It was then that Nume spoke up, causing Marche and Montblanc to jump slightly in surprise. They had completely forgotten he was even there.

"You know what they ssssay, eh? Opposssitessss attract. Etoile isss the light to Pheobe'sss dark, and Pheobe isss the calm to Etoile'sss unsssteady nature." Marche and Montblanc stared at their Bangaa friend. Nume looked at them curiously. "What isss it? Isss there sssomething on my faccce?"

"No, kupo. You just said something that sounded rather….sagely, kupo."

"Yeah. It was well thought out!" Marche exclaimed. Nume blinked.

"Isss that an insssult to my intelligencccce?" Marche grinned sheepishly.

"Uhm…no, not really…I was just…ah—"

"Complimenting your keen wit, kupo!" Montblanc chimed in cheerfully, saving Marche from an untimely doom.

"Yeah! That's it! It was a compliment!" Marche smiled and, once again scratched the back of his head. Nume merely looked at him strangely.

"You humansss are ssstrange. However, I thank you for the compliment. I will go and check on how Etoile and Ssstuart are doing. Sssee you in the morrow, Chief. You too, Monty B." With that, the Bangaa left. Marche and Montblanc couldn't help the grin that spread across their faces.

"Whew…close one. Thanks, Montblanc." The fuzzy little Moogle grinned, his small orange bobble waggling happily.

"No problem, kupo!" Giggling slightly to themselves, they returned to their room. Marche and Montblanc always shared a room. Not because they liked each other in 'that way', but because it was cost effective. Everyone in the clan shared a room with another. He and Montblanc shared a room, Nume and Stuart shared a room, and Pheobe and Etoile usually shared a room. This way, they could save money and spend it on such things as better weapons and armour. On the stairs, Nume was, as he had said, on his way to check on Stuart and Etoile. Once reaching the bottom of the stairs, he looked at the clock. It was currently 1am in the morning. He'd better tell them to get to bed, though he doubted Etoile would be able to sleep. He felt pity for the poor Viera. She was now worried out of her mind, and she wouldn't be much help in an engagement should they stumble into one. Looking to his right, he saw his two friends sitting at a table. Sighing, he moved to join them.

"How isss ssshe doing, Ssstuart?" The Nu Mou looked of from Etoile, a light smile of compassion on his dog-like face.

"Oh, I daresay she'll live. Quite shaken up though, I must say. The poor dear…she won't be finding sleep this moon, no no. If she does, well, good for her says I!" Nume looked at Etoile to see for himself. She was no longer shaking, and she was gently sighing into a cup of tea. Well, at least she was calmed down some.

"Well…make sssure you get sssome sssleep. Both of you. Like the Chief sssaid, we can't greet Pheobe like thisss." With a reptilian smile, he patted Etoile's hand gently before trekking up to his room. Their room only had one bed, he realized. It was probably a mistake at the front desk. With a sigh, he sat himself down at the desk in the corner. Taking off his helmet and robe, he dressed in a plain gray shirt and pants. The desk would be slightly uncomfortable, but he would just have to deal with it. Stuart deserved the bed anyhow. Crossing his arms on the desk, he laid his head down on top of them. The large Bangaa was asleep in less than 10 minutes. Below him, Stuart yawned.

"My dear, this old Nu Mou cannot keep his eyes open much longer." Etoile looked at him, a small smile on her face.

"You aren't old, Stuart…you're only 4 years older than I am." Stuart chuckled.

"I suppose so, yet it seems so much longer at times. I'm afraid that I must retire to my chamber soon. Will you be alright by yourself, Etoile my Dear?" The young Viera nodded her head softly.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. I'm sorry for being such a burden. Thank you, Stuart." The Nu Mou smiled and patted his friend's shoulder.

"If you need my assistance, you know where to find me. When Pheobe returns in the morning, I swear that I shant utter a word of tonight's events." With a wink he trudged up the stairs to his room. Etoile smiled gently. It was nice having friends that cared for you. Ever since she was little, she hadn't a friend o call her own. This Clan was her actual first true friends. Pheobe was, if one could say, her best friend. Why, not even she herself was certain. Pheobe was so calm and collect, while she herself was a bumbling fool. Maybe that was why? Who knew? All she knew was that Pheobe understood her, and she understood Pheobe. Without even realizing it, her head as well as her eyelids began to droop. In minutes, the young Viera was asleep at the pub table, her soft snoring barely detectable. Looking in her direction, the Barkeep smiled softly. Taking a blanket from a back room, he quietly covered the sleeping Viera in it before going back to his work.


End file.
